Tips and tricks to drive online sales

Have a website, make sure it’s optimized for smartphones, be active on social media – most small and medium-sized businesses are by now at least aware of these table stakes when it comes to playing the e-commerce game. But with trends shifting and the algorithms that govern how the web works still a mystery to most, it’s easy for the average business to miss opportunities to increase online sales. Staying on top of the web’s arcane workings requires some vigilance, but experts say a little effort can go a long way toward building e-commerce operations. Master the data Consumers often browse and compare prices a few times and in a few places before going directly to a website and making a purchase. Misinterpreting customer data is one of the biggest mistakes a business can make, according to Adam Green, vice-president of Toronto-based digital marketing agency Art & Science. Many use data-tracking tools such as Google Analytics, which inserts code into websites that tracks a wealth of visitor information including location, web browser choice and other sites visited. But few companies delve into those advanced metrics. “Everyone gets focused on filling the bucket with water, but if you don’t know which water actually drove the thing you were trying to do, then a lot of your efforts … are almost in vain,” Mr. Green says. Many businesses overvalue their website’s direct traffic, when a person arrives there by typing its exact address into a browser, as a result. When direct […]